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From: mtv@milton.u.washington.edu (David Schanen)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Missing mission
Message-ID: <6685@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 24 Aug 90 14:45:41 GMT
References: <11446@medusa.cs.purdue.edu>
Organization: Independent Study of Art, Music, Video, Computing
Lines: 57

In article <11446@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> spaf@uther.cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford) writes:
>I just finished reading through mailing #3, and I am disappointed.
>Why?  Because there is a very important mission statement missing from
>the list given:  helping to establish a sense of responsibility in
>users of networks and computers.
>

   Definitely, social awareness and responsibility should be *Priority*

> ...... buncha stuff deleted.....  However, I also find it difficult to
>believe that the  EFF would help sponsor a campaign in schools to teach
>kids not to break into others' systems,
>

   Why is that so dificult to believe, sounds like a perfectly appropriate
endeavor....

>			...............         or that they would help
>legislators draft balanced computer crime bills, 
>

   Isn't that  one of the main ideas?  Perhaps I'm wrong.  It seems to
me they would be eager to move in this direction....

>			............        or that the EFF would
>marshall its resources to help catch computer virus authors.
>

   Now I wouldn't expect them to do this... I don't think they want to be 
police...

>From my point of view, that is badly unbalanced -- and I *believe* in
>all of the EFF's stated goals!  It is no wonder there is such a strong
>image that the group is just a "cracker's defense fund."  Time and
>events will tell if this is just growing pains and poor publicity, or
>whether it is a skewed philosophy.  I dearly hope it is the former.
>

   Have faith Gene!  These are, after all, grown men are they not?  And a few
rather respected grown men I might add...

>-- 
>Gene Spafford
>NSF/Purdue/U of Florida  Software Engineering Research Center,
>Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-2004
>Internet:  spaf@cs.purdue.edu	uucp:	...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf

   Thanks for your comments Gene!  I always light up when I see your address in
the From: field, keep em coming! 

   I sure would like to see more from *inside* the EFF.  How many emplyees are
there now? Anyone? John? Mitch?  Looking forward to some (more) substance! 

	-Dave
-- 

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